Pine Bluff Wastewater Utility will begin work on a new sewage lift station on Phillips Road next month, according to General Manager Ken Johnson.
The utility’s 2014 rate increase is being used to make major capital improvements, including this project as well as upgrades to the Boyd Point Wastewater Treatment Facility and many older sewers lines dating back to 1888.
Existing stations are pumping sewage six-and-a-half miles to Kansas Street, which is placing too great of a strain on them, Johnson said.
The utility recently signed a contract with McInnis Brothers Contractors from Minden, Louisiana, to carry out the construction for the lift station, which is set to begin on Aug. 1. The work will span the course of one year.
As requested by Johnson, the contracting company will seek employees from the local workforce to finish the project estimated at over $3 million dollars.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Watson Chapel Water
Newly-formed agreements were revealed during the utility’s monthly meeting held at Pine Bluff Wastewater Utility this week.
A recent problem concerning the discontinuance of services between the utility and Watson Chapel Water Association came into discussion during the meeting, with Johnson announcing that the two entities have come to a new agreement.
Originally, Watson Chapel Water Association called for an immediate cancellation of services from PBWU and no longer wished to collect sewer fees for the company. After getting a 90-day extension before the termination, Johnson and Brandon Biggs of WCWA eventually settled on a new agreement to increase the collection fee from .75 cents to $1 per account.
The new agreement will allow PBWU to continue collecting sewer service costs for some 280 customers who use the utility — a service that has been done in unison since 1982.
In other news, the utility will be honoring their employees with an Employee Appreciation Day on Aug. 18.
Employees who have been and working to obtain degrees since last year will receive certifications and recognition during the day’s program.
Financial audits from BKD showed that there were no financial issues for the utility.